Maastricht's marijuana-selling coffee shops will ban most foreigners

29 September 2011 Last updated at 19:08 BST

Marijuana-selling coffee shop owners in Maastricht have announced a ban on most foreigners in an attempt to prove wrong the conservative Dutch government's plans to restrict access to their businesses.

The government says the specialised tourism brings criminality and social problems and wants to limit access to the shops to locals who have applied for a controversial card.

But Maastricht's shop owners say the plan will hit the local economy and drive the problems underground.